1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) system which is capable of sending and receiving voice data via an IP network (Internet Protocol Network), and more particularly, to a VoIP gateway system gateway which increases the number of processing lines of a voice processing unit by distributing the load of a system bus in a gateway system for sending and receiving a voice data packet by connecting a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and an IP network, and which makes a gatekeeper manage only an IP address of a main processor by batch-processing a process for forming a H.323 protocol stack on a main processing unit when a voice data packet is transferred to the IP network, for thereby performing the IP address management at the gatekeeper effectively.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In the VoIP system, voice data can be sent and received via the IP network. In particular, the IP network and the PSTN are connected through a gateway. The gateway converts a PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) voice data applied from the PSTN into a packet to transfer it to the IP network. Conversely, when the packet is received from the IP network, the corresponding packet is converted into PCM voice data to be transferred to the PSTN.
The gateway of such a conventional VoIP system is provided with a main processing unit and a plurality of voice processing units, with the corresponding voice processing unit and the main processing unit being connected with each other via a system bus. The voice processing unit performs both RTP/TCRP (Real Time Transport Protocol/Real Time Transport Control Protocol) and video/audio transmission protocol stacking, such as the H.323 protocol.
A voice data packet is transferred in the following way. When the voice processing unit converts voice into a packet and transfers it to the main processing unit via the system bus by forming a H.323 protocol stack. The main processing unit receives the corresponding H.323 protocol stack to transfer it to the IP network through a router.
As described above, in the gateway of the prior art VoIP system, since the voice processing unit and the main processing unit sends and receives information with each other only via the system bus, the load is concentrated on the system bus. Thus, the number of telephone lines which can be handled for one voice processing unit is limited to a maximum of 30. In the case of transferring a packet to the IP network, since the process for forming a H.323 protocol stack is performed by each voice processing unit, each of that voice processing unit has to be given an IP address for discrimination. Therefore, the number of IP addresses managed by the gatekeeper increases, thereby disabling an effective IP address management in the gatekeeper.